PALMER: The clever decision that was the foundation of Antonelli’s brilliant maiden win

Former F1 driver and F1 TV analyst Jolyon Palmer takes a closer look at Kimi Antonelli's maiden Grand Prix victory – and what it means for the title race in 2026.

Mar 17, 2026 3:31pm UTC

SHANGHAI, CHINA - MARCH 15: Race winner Andrea Kimi Antonelli of Italy and Mercedes AMG Petronas F1

What a weekend for Kimi Antonelli, who became Formula 1’s youngest ever polesitter on Saturday and backed it up with a very solid maiden win on Sunday to ignite a potential intra-team title battle in 2026.

So far this year I’ve felt that Kimi has been living in the shadows of George Russell at Mercedes. There’s no doubt that George has worked out how to maximise the performance of the car in this new complex era of Formula 1.